Why did my site migration hurt SEO? on Shopify

Site migrations (new domain, new platform, or major URL changes) often cause temporary or permanent traffic loss if redirects, content, or technical setup are wrong.

• Redirects not implemented or broken Old URLs still in sitemap or links
• Compare old and new URL structure and ensure 301 map is complete
• Implement correct 301 redirects from every old URL to new Update internal

Site migrations (new domain, new platform, or major URL changes) often cause temporary or permanent traffic loss if redirects, content, or technical setup are wrong. Common issues include broken redirects, lost canonicals, or content/URLs not matching. Fixing migration mistakes and ensuring clean redirects and indexing helps recovery. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings so the issue does not repeat site-wide. Track impressions, indexed page counts, and click recovery for at least two crawl cycles before closing the task. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings…

Redirects not implemented or broken. Old URLs still in sitemap or links. Content or structure changed without preserving signals. New site has noindex or blocks. Canonicals or hreflang wrong. Timing: Google needs time to process large changes.

Common examples

A real-world example: after a site update, a business saw visibility drop for "Site migration failed". They checked Search Console, found the blocking issue, fixed it, and regained impressions over the following crawl cycles.

How to diagnose

Compare old and new URL structure and ensure 301 map is complete. Test redirects from key old URLs. Check Search Console for indexing of new URLs and any errors. Compare traffic and rankings before/after. Look for crawl errors or coverage drops.

Recommended fixes

Implement correct 301 redirects from every old URL to new. Update internal links and sitemap to new URLs. Ensure new site is indexable (no accidental noindex). Submit new sitemap. Monitor indexing and performance. Fix any redirect chains or broken links. Allow time for re-crawl. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings so the issue does not repeat site-wide. Track impressions, indexed page counts, and click recovery for at least two crawl cycles before closing the task. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings so the issue does not repeat site-wide. Track impressions, indexed page counts, and click recovery for at least two crawl cycles before closing the task. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings so the issue does not repeat site-wide. Track impressions, indexed page counts, and click recovery for at least two crawl cycles before closing the task. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings so the issue does not repeat site-wide. Track impressions, indexed page counts, and click recovery for at least two crawl cycles before closing the task. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings so the issue does not repeat site-wide. Track impressions, indexed page counts, and click recovery for at least two crawl cycles before closing the task. Practical context: prioritise one representative URL, confirm the exact blocker with Search Console and live testing, then apply the fix in templates or settings so the issue does not repeat site-wide. Track impressions, indexed page counts, and click recovery for at least two crawl cycles before closing the task.